Rick Steves Village Italy in 14 days
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Italian Riviera
Day 11
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Bus to Carrara
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Cava Museo Fantiscritti
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Bus to Portovenere for lunch
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Board boat for Monterosso
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Views of Cinque Terra from the Sea
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Train to Levanto-free for dinner
Day 12
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Free Day in coastal villages
Day 11 was a very busy travel day that involved two buses, a boat, a train, and our feet of course. Mario drove us into Carrara where we all transferred to a smaller bus to climb into the mountains of marble. We were joined by Sara, our local guide, who walked us through the Cava Museo Fantiscritti, the Museum of the Fantiscritti Quarry.
“Everyone knows the marble, but few know how it was excavated, transported and processed. For this was born the Quarry Museum Fantiscritti ”
Museum Creator-Walter Danesi
The mountains where Michelangelo discovered the marble for his masterpieces are beautiful and the museum was informative. We learned about the tradition of quarrying and the dangers that many generations of men have faced removing the magnificent stone for art, construction, and home decor. Tricia explained that the marble quarried from this area is a huge business and that many people are concerned that the area is being over produced.
Click first photo in each group to enlarge entire gallery
We boarded the small bus to wind back down the mountainside to where Mario was waiting for us. The plan was that Mario would to deliver us to Portovenere and then continue on with our luggage to Levanto while we traveled along the coast by boat and train. There was just enough time in Portovenere for lunch and a short walk before meeting up again for the ferry ride to Monterosso. La Chiesa di San Pietro (the church of St. Peter) sits at the end of the piazza that runs along the water's edge. The brilliant blue of the sea is a stunning contrast to the grey stone of the church.
Click any photo to take a closer look
The ferry would be taking us to Monterosso the most northern village of the Cinque Terre. The Cinque Terre is a collection of 5 coastal towns: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso. As our ferry left the port, we saw what looked like snow-topped mountains. The white sections we were seeing were not snow, but rather the deep scars of the marble quarries on the mountain fronts.
I was so excited to see the view of villages from the sea. The towns used to be connected by hiking paths, but due to flooding and a landslide in 2011, the trail is closed in some places. You can still travel between towns by ferry or train. Even though the colors of the villages were washed out a bit by the bright sun of midday, the views were gorgeous.
The Hotel Primavera was just a short walk from the train station. We didn't have to worry about our luggage, as the hotel had collected it from the bus when Mario had arrived earlier in the day. The friendly staff welcomed us with a light snack and a cocktail. The small hotel had a nice little bar area and a large breakfast room. Our room was simple, clean, and comfortable with a great location. There were many restaurants and shops in the area and it was only about a two-block walk to la Spiaggia di Levanto, the Levanto beach.
When we arrived in Monterosso, Tricia said we had about an hour to wander while she went to buy our train tickets. It was mid-afternoon and the small coastal town was bustling with tourists. Bryan and I decided to spend the short time we had at a small restaurant enjoying a cold beer and a snack. The time passed quickly and we joined up again for the short train ride to Levanto.
Many of us walked down to the boardwalk and beach to watch the sunset over the Ligurian Sea. The atmosphere was so relaxing. Once the sun dipped below the horizon, we headed back to the hotel for our Levanto seafood feast.
Chef Carlo and his helpers made a huge feast: a seafood stew, vegetable dishes, mussels, white fish, pork, chicken, and so many other options I can't even remember them all. We enjoyed the buffet, then Tricia surprised one of our tour members with a birthday dessert to go with our limoncino. This was our last meal with Mario, as he would be delivering us to Lake Orta in a few days where we would say goodbye. Tricia gave us a chance to thank Mario for his amazing service and we also thanked the staff that had prepared the huge buffet dinner.
We rented bikes from a little shop down the street from our hotel and set off on our way to Bonassola. It was a cloudy day and the dark clouds gave the sea a very dramatic look compared to the day before. The bike path traveled in and out of tunnels with views of the sea changing every time we popped out into the open. We discovered a rocky cove with dark turquoise water. The sound of the waves were relaxing, so we sat and enjoyed the peacefulness for awhile.
Day 12 of our journey was a free day. Many people were heading to the Cinque Terre area for the day, but Bryan and I decided to avoid the crowds by going the opposite direction. Tricia had told all of us about the bike trail that had been built on an old railroad track that led from Levanto to Bonassola, then on to Framura.
We arrived in Bonassola and decided to keep going on to the Comune di Framura. When we reached the end of the bike path we found a very long row of bikes along the railing and a little marina down below. We climbed up many steps into the little borgo (village) of Anzo, which is one of the 5 villages that make up the community of Framura. We meandered through the quiet village for over 30 minutes before meeting another person on the path through the town. It was a beautiful setting, but eerily quiet. We guessed the bikes below had been left there by the villagers who took the train into work or school, leaving the town empty during the day. We were glad we opted for the peaceful ride instead of heading back into the busy towns of the Cinque Terre.
We returned to our bikes and rode back to Bonassola for lunch. We picked a restaurant on the beach where Bryan ordered polpo e patate (octopus and potato) and I had spaghetti con le cozze (spaghetti with mussels.) The sky was getting darker and the temperature was dropping, so we ate lunch quickly to make sure we got back before the weather turned too bad.
The afternoon was filled with shopping for last-minute gifts and organizing our luggage for the last few days of the tour. We headed down to the beach for one more Ligurian sunset. The sky didn't seem to promise much of a show, but we were relaxing and enjoying our wine, so we lingered for a while. As the sun sank lower and lower, the sky transformed dramatically.
Once the magic of the sunset faded to darkness, we headed back into town to find dinner. We ended up at La Loggia. This was our last dinner at the seashore, so we ordered pasta with a medley of different seafood. I really did enjoy eating pasta, guilt free, while on this trip.
